These days it appears everyone is on the go. People are trying to save as much time as possible while running around doing everyday tasks. Now that smartphones allow consumers to access the Internet at anytime, from anywhere, people can essentially shop and search for whatever they’d like at any time of the day. In 2012, comScore estimated that four out of five smartphone users use the device to shop. In addition, Cisco stated that in 2013 the number of mobile devices on Earth would surpass the world’s population. It is extremely important in today’s technology driven world that a company operates a well-developed mobile optimized site.

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Apartments.com is excited to announce the launch of our Community Reviews Dashboard! To help our customers successfully manage reviews, we took the necessary steps to make reading, responding and promoting reviews as easy as possible by developing the Community Reviews Dashboard. The dashboard allows users to:

• Read all reviews received by the properties they are assigned to
• Respond to all community(ies) reviews
• Sort and search their community’s reviews by date, property name, review title, star rating or number of comments
• Easily promote and encourage reviews with a custom Apartments.com Community Reviews URL

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Networking is an important part of the job in almost every industry, and multi-family is no exception. But we understand that networking doesn’t come easy to everyone, so we put together a few tips on how you can maximize your networking skills.

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When looking to put an apartment on the market, leasing agents have a responsibility to make the property presentable before potential renters start to view it. Exercising best practices when preparing an apartment for renters will increase the chances of grabbing the eye of a buyer quickly, avoiding long waits on the market that could result in months of lost revenue. Agents and landlords should consider many details and aspects of an apartment when staging it for viewings, such as interior fixtures and floorplan layouts.

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October 1^st is one of the biggest moving days of the year! Moving can often be a very stressful experience. To help your new residents settle in with ease, consider providing them with moving information when they sign a new lease. For inspiration, check out the Apartments.com Moving Checklist.

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We’re all familiar with the typical shopping process: Go to the store to shop for a product, evaluate your options, make a purchase and experience your new item at home. In 2005, Procter & Gamble defined the in-store evaluation as the consumer’s First Moment of Truth (FMOT), with the Second Moment of Truth (SMOT) happening once the item purchased is brought home. But, what about the research that takes place before a consumer goes to the store?

We learned during the Importance of Online Video Training Series Live! webinar, hosted by Patrick Grandinetti,  Head of Real Estate at Google, that online research and reviews are changing the game and are becoming what Google calls the Zero Moment of Truth, or ZMOT. The ZMOT, which first came to our attention last summer, takes place before the First Moment of Truth. In his presentation, Patrick described how the ZMOT impacts the housing industry and what we as multifamily housing professionals can do to maintain and increase success through online video. Read More

Just like any home, the curb appeal of your apartment community can make a good or bad impression on potential renters. Ways to increase curb appeal can include adding exterior decorations, re-painting, or making improvements to the landscaping. There are a variety of simple, cost-effective improvements to elevate your curb appeal this fall.

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A recycling program is a great way to help sustain the earth, but sometimes the hardest part is deciding where to begin. By creating a program for your residents, it can not only help the environment, but also build a sense of community and remove barriers that may prevent residents from recycling on their own.

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By now, most of us have heard the term SEO. You might even know it stands for Search Engine Optimization. But, what exactly does that mean? If your response is along the lines of something about showing up in Google, you’re on the right track, but there is so much more! SEO helps your website be found, read and favored by search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Many of us shy away from SEO because it sounds confusing and hard to manage, but it’s not. With a few tips, you can take control of your SEO!

To prove our point, we asked Amado Candelario, SEO Manager of Apartments.com, to host the Apartments.com Training Series Live! webinar on search engine optimization. In this 30 minute session, Amado covered a lot of ground, explaining why SEO is crucial for small business web design, how to implement an SEO strategy and what to avoid. The recorded webinar is available for you to view here. A few of the highlights from the Q&A session are: Read More

Memorial Day is the official start of the summer season!  Instead of just entertaining your residents with parties this summer – rally them for a cause that gets your community noticed.  Why? There are so many great reasons, including building relationships, contributing to a cause that is important to your residents and great publicity for your community.  Follow these steps to get your charitable event off the ground:

1.  Select your cause – Engage your residents early to determine a cause, so you generate ideas that are not only creative, but appeal to your community. Read More